Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-02-10
MIR. SMITH STANDS UP.
And Answers Private Letter Publishe
in RiIIIin

MIR. SMITH STANDS UP,
And Answers Private Letter Published
in a Public Way.
EDS. RECORD UNION: As | have been
directed to stand up by the Bee, whose
chief business seems to be standing people
up for better or for worse, and as the chief
instigator has " seen fit to rush into print,
deem it proper that should publish my
answer TO his correspondence SO gratui-
tously published by the Bee,
p A. F1rigdn, San Frdncisco-DEAR SIR: Yours
of the eth instant duly received. l had
no idea that letter written by me, with no mo-
tive in view except to favor youth calling
your attention to a delinquency before it was
published in the official report of the society
would bring about such silly answer.
1 will simply reply to that part of your extra
ordinary letter referring to myself and duties:
The proper persons to answer any OF the other
matters contained therein are those against
whom you may have grievance.
AS to the SIS charged against you, and con-
corning which you express surprise, there hay
ing been no demand on you for 1t, until this
time / would say that 4. .. Cravens, the clerk
of the course, reported the non-payment to Mr..
Hopper, my assistant, and the same was duly
entered as delinquent on my ledger on SeDtem-
Der 30th In the rush OF business incident TO
that time, as / thought an opportunity would be
given to call your attention to it. AT each time
We met it unfortunately slipped my memory.s
did not think it was necessary to make a
written demand upon an eN-President OF the
Society for the sum of SIS, as l supposed you
knew it was charged against you. If you paid
Mr.. Cravens in the judges stand, it is between
you apd him. | would say, however, OF MI
Cravens that during the three years he has acted
as Clerk of the Course have yet to find him IN
error respecting payments made to him, He is
Il thoroughly honest man, ana should ne nave
SIS in his pocket that was PAD 10 MN on &C
count of fees, he would never leave his accounts
until it was discovered to whom 1t should be
credited The letter written to you was not IN
tended as a demand i'll any sense merely de-
sired to call your attention to what supposed
was an oversight
Your information respecting the report Is I'M
reliable; such is not the case 1t has not been
published.
the bylaws referring to them, and defy you,
or any other man, or set of men, to point out TO
any unprejudiced person wherein have " as a
trusted servant neglected any OF my duties;
and no mau knows better than yourself that
what here state is correct
When YOU were the President of the society,
AS Secretary, never presumed to call any meet
ing. unless directed to do so by the executive
officer: and am sure Mr.. J. ID. Carr, as Presl-
dent, is entitled to the same consideration:
Consequently shall have to respectfully de-
cline to accede to your demand to issue the
call for the meeting until directed to do SO
BY the proper authority. Very respectfully.
EDWIN +. SMITH, Secretary.
Sacramento, February 9, 1887.
The above communication, Mr. Editor,
has been written in my official capacity
and mailed to P. A. Finigan, at 124S Cali
fornia street, San Francisco. l will now,
as en- individual, stripped of all official re-
straint, answer the few untruths told by
Mr.. Finigan. Every one who knows
him. or has ever had any correspondence
with him, must be aware that he never in
dited the letter he has signed and sent to
the Bee for publication. In this prepared
letter he asserts that the bylaws call for
holding the annual meeting on or about
the LIST of February Such isnot the case
and | defy him TO produce copy wherein
it is so stated.
He says also that Mr.. Carr went East
last year, ana did not return until two or
three months after the time for holding the
annual meeting The annual meeting last
wear was held on March f. 1885, and Mr..
Carr was present.
The secret of this mans luminosity is his
rule ruin policy, and not having any in
terest in Sacramento or the society, he is
doing everything possible to injure one of
lNe DTlIlClDdl lDSllllttlOlio lcSalSb hSi anu
is receiving the hearty support of the Bee
Mr.. Finigan was defeated in 1885 for the
Presidency of the society by ]. ID. Carr, of
Salinas, who was East at the time of the
election After his defeat, he jumped up
out of the Presidents chair and refused, in
schoolboy fashion, to preside. Mr.. LaRue
was called to the chair, and the business OF
the Board proceeded. Since that time Fin
igan has evinced Spirit of hatred toward
Mr.. Carr, his successor, and those members
who voted against him for the Presidency.
He has acted in an arbitrary manner to-
wards everything proposed by these gentle
men. He refused 10 sign, 1gith the other etere1e
members the note Of Indebtedness now IN bank
that accrued from the improvements made By
the Board at the Park grounds and Partition.
Mr. Finigan's spirit of wrath, in the
absence of Mr.. Carr from the State, has
been turned towards me. He suggests that
l resign. Well, that is cool! Why did not
this dictator obtain the signatures OF six
more Directors to his demand? That is
the only sure away of obtaining my resig-
nation. If l am in his way, why not have
me removed? l can well afford to stand
his abuse, as long as I attend strictly to my
duties, and conduct the business of the
office as | have in the past. Just so long
of the Society at heart uphold me. When
fail to do this, or cease to hold the full
confdtnc of the Board, then / should and
will resign. Atpresent shall not be turned
aside from my duty by this man with a
grievance"
Therefore I will dismiss him and his
silly talk. l shall continue to attend to
my business in the same placid manner
that l have in the past, and aid in every
way possible in building up this grand in
stitution. Mr.. Carr consulted with many
of the members before starting East, for
the purpose of ascertaining if there was
any objection to having our meeting early
in March. He assured me that those he
saw, who believe constituted majority,
cheertully acuuiesced, and | was by the
President directed to call the meeting early
in March upon his notification. In obey
ing the presiding officer, am only follow
ing my duties as laid down in the Consti-
tuition.
1t is not my custom to rush into print
and answer criticisms on my actions. All
who have had the experience know this
course to be unwise for public officials.
But for the once | have concluded that the
justified me in putting the
spade under" this man, and turning him
up to the sunlight, so that all may be in
formed of the course of the many attacks
now and heretofore made against the Soci-
ETY., of which | am informed he is one of
the chief instigators. This, believe, is due
to the fact that majority of the Board
could not stomach him as President for
third term. EDWIN F. SMITH,
1919 n Straat Sacramento